The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-02-21
THE EDUCATIONAL JUNKETERS.
A Legislative Delegations VISIT Purdue Uni
yersity and the Things That We're Seen.

"A large QeIeSatlOn OF the Legislature visited
Purdue University Saturday. filling two of
the morning train on the Big Four line. They
were under the care of Senator Dresser, of La
fayette and Representative Carrick, of Frank
fort Senators Andrews, Duncan of Nashville,
Fowler, Harness, Peterson, Sears, A. G. Smith
and Thompson, Representatives Beasley.
Buckles, Carrck, Catey, Clark, Gender, j. T.
Cox, Custer, Gardiner, Glover Kelley. Little,
Loop. Mayer. Metzger, Montgomery, Oursler.
Scott, Stall and Van Slyke. Superintendent Hol-
combe. Librarian Calls, Senate Clerks Catey
TurpiE and Orr; b. Wilson Smith and Attorney
general Kitchener were members of the party.
Most of the gentlemen were in company of la
dies, making total of ninety -two the train.
The delegation was met at tho depot by hacks,
and was soon seated in the chapel where the stu
dents end faculty assembled for chapel
exercises. Music by the choir, Scripture
reading by Professor Thompson, prayer by
President Smart and recitation by Page Fei-
bleman closed the exercises. The delegation
then divided into committees as their interests
led, and the various departments were visited
until 1890, when An excellent dinner was served
at the college boarding house. Short speeches
were made by Messrs. S, Water, Senator Fowler
Of Owen, Col. G.. W. Fredley, Representative
Buckles, of Delaware county, Senator Duncan
of Brown, Representative Gardiner of Daviess,
Van Slyke of Elkhart and Scott of Morgan, and
Judge Coffroth who acted as toast-master All
the speeches were complimentary to Purdue.
The board of trustees were encouraged to ask
for liberal appropriation. and assurance was
given that their reasonable demands would be
promptly met by the Legislature.
After an hour of speech making the delega-
ton visited the mechanical departments and
the laboratories. A hundred students at
work--about thirty freshmen in the carpenter
shops, twenty juniors IN the machinery depart
ment, as many more in the molding and casting
room, and score in the blacksmith shop. The
big engine was started. the new electric lights
turned on, and all were busy as bees Professor
Stahl tore an inch bar of cold iron in two, and
measured the tensile strain with the great testing
machine which falls so 900 pounds; Professor
Goss explained the working of the casting
| furnace, made by the students. which contained
! 1000 pounds Of molten iron ready for the molds
| Professor Golden showed the milling machine, !"
/! which cuts o cogwheel on the bench, and
| can produce any part of itself-a marvel in me-
chanics; Professor Huston exhibited the
Thompson transatlantic telegraph apparatus;
Professor Warder showed the stock of drugs and
| chemicals made by the School of Pharmacy stu
dents, and Professors Troop Latta and Webster
| the work doing in farming. horticulture and en-
| tomoogy. All were struck with the system and
| thorouehness of the work in mechanics and en-
| cheering The higher classes make the draw
! ings from which the lower classes work. Two
l large exhibition. rooms are filled with student
work. and they have done good part Of the
| furnishing in many Of the buildings. They
could make, if necessary, the new buildings re-
| quired, cut all their interior furnishings and
| adornments as well as delicate and costly in
| struments of precision
| There was much interest shown in the biolog-
| ical department under the care of Prof Chas
r. Barnes and Henry L. Osborn. Prof. Barnes
Is joint editor, with Prof. Coulter, of Wabash
| College, of the Botanical Gazette" and of
various botanical text books in wide use
throughout the United States Prof. Osborn is
| editor of the American Monthly Microscopical
! journal, now in its eighth year, and of the
| leading journals of this science. Prof. Osborn
had score of microscopic objects all brought
to focus under elegant instruments. There was
the tongue Of snail with 10, 600 teeth for rasp
4 ing cabbage; the bacillus of consumption mag
nifed 1000 diameters; the lung of CALI full oi
! worms: the pear-tree blight, the sting of bee
like pike staff andsendless sections of plants.
! But most interesting were the studies in chicken
embryoloey; Prof Osborn ami his
students take the eggs from the univer
sity hens nests. stealing them away
day by day, to study their growth The EN-
bryo of twenty four hours is removed from the
egg, hardened in alcohol Embedded in paraffint
and cut by razor edge into 100 sections only a
thousandth of an inch thick. These are placed
in rows on glass slides. covered with basam ant
thin glass, and are now good for study for a cen
tury. Another embryo is taken the second day
and so On until the patient hen has given a half
dozen eggs to science. And so the series shows
how. from a single cell, the life principle build
the opalescenr salbumen and the golden sphere
of yellow into heart and brain. stomach, leg
and feathers. The tissues of adult animals ar,
studied IN the same way. The effort is to get q
first principles and see just how life lives ant
does its work. Nothing is Overlooked; nothin,
is unimportant.
Another section, led by Professor Holco1nbe
the State Superintendent of Instruction, viste
Professor Andersons classes in literature ant
history. Professor Anderson has translate
Hugo's ESSAYS Shakespeare this winter. Hi
energy as teacher aad wide knowledge of cd
ern languages are already felt as power in Pur
? due University.
0 At o'clock the visiting delegation left for In
! Annapolis with access Of information regardin